Improvement in barbed-wire fences



S. M. STEVENS. BarbedWire-Fenoe.

No. 222,747. Patented Dec; 16, I879.-

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UNITED STATEs PATENT OEEIoE.

.SIDNEY M. STEVENS, OF DE KALB, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BARBED-WIRE FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222,747, dated December 16, 1879; application filed July 19, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY M. STEvENs, of De Kalb, in the county of De Kalb, in the State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful. Improvement in Barbed-Wire Fences, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manner of se curing wire barbs upon fences composed of two strands of wire. a

It has been customary heretofore to coil wire barbs either wholly around oneof the strands, or around one and partly around the other, or around both collectively, and in almost all cases an unnecessary amount of coiling has been employed, consuming unnecessary wire in the manufacture.

While my invention may be somewhat analogous to some of the old methods, it differs from them in important respects, and attains the maximum of security with the minimum consumption of wire.

In my invention the piece forming the barb is passed around one of the strands of the fence-cable with a three-quarter turn, or thereabout-that'is to say, the wrap is continued until the points pass each other and an angle substantially V-shaped is formed between them. The other fence-strand is then put into the crotch of this angle. The twisting of the cable brings the strands closely together, and obviates any danger of the strand slipping out of the crotch.

Where a double or four pointed barb is desired it is only necessary to place duplicate barbs of this description side by side, one upon each of the fence-strands, and with each fencestrand lying in the crotch of the barb upon the other fence-strand.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of my improved fence Fig. 2 is a side View thereof, and Fig. 3 a cross-section upon an enlarged scale.

In the drawings, a represents one of the pieces composing the four-pointed barb, and b the other piece. If pains be taken to follow with the other; but such construction will obviously be within the letter as well as the spirit of my invention.

By reason of the peculiar structure of the individual barb and its relation to the two wires upon which it is borne, I am enabled to utilize not only the compression produced by the twisting of the strands to secure the barb against slipping or turning, but, in addition,

owing to the crotch feature of the barb, into which one of the wires firmly sets, a positive stop is afforded against any rotary movement, and the barb is thus very rigidly held.

When two barbs are placed side by side, one upon each wire, as shown in the drawings, making a four-pointed barb, the two mutually sustain and brace each other, as will be under' stood.

I claim- 1. The two-strand fence-cable provided with a wire barb coiled around one of the strands, with its points crossed and forming a crotch, into which the other strand is placed, and where it is secured by the twist of the cable, substantially asspecified.

2. The two-strand fence-cable wherein each strand has coiled around it a wire barb whose points pass each other and form a crotch, as described, and each strand lies in the crotch of the barb upon the other strand.

SIDNEY M. STEVENS.

Witnesses:

MARTTN V. WILDER, RoBT. E. RIALE. 

